Mason Greenwood could go on to be the best Manchester United player to come through the ranks since Ryan Giggs, says a former team-mate of Giggs, Paul Parker.
Greenwood’s exceptional form continued with a match-changing brace against Bournemouth on Saturday, and that has prompted an outpouring of well-deserved praise for the 18-year-old. And Parker, speaking exclusively on this week’s Talking Devils podcast, is as excited as any.
“There hasn’t been a player for a long while who has made such a massive footprint of intent,” the former defender said. “Maybe he’s the first since Ryan Giggs. People might say Paul Scholes and the others but people knew about them. Mason has been around but he’s suddenly come on.”
Parker believes Greenwood’s attitude to personal development during the lockdown has been a significant step forward.
“The lockdown period has made a huge difference,” he says. “He now looks like a man. His body shape has changed… he looks more imposing. He is young but players know they can’t knock him around anymore. Someone could have told him to do it [bulk up] but you have to want to do it. He has. And now he has the potential to be a player the likes of which United haven’t had since Ryan.”
Parker did urge some caution – there has predictably been a surge for him to get an England team call-up, but the Premier League winner believes that it is a little premature to put such expectation on him.
“When you get a young player you give them a taste, then you see if you fancy them… then players need a chance to prove themselves, they need to know they’re going to play so they can get on with it,” he said. “Now he’s doing well the press are already talking about him playing for England and I think that’s awful. The most important thing for him to do is to play well and to play regularly for his club.”
